Chapter One

James Lee. A simple, unassuming accountant that was content with life. The firm he worked for wasn’t shady. His twin children were excelling in middle school. And his stay-at-home wife took care of everything at home for him during the day, making it so he came home to a hot, home-cooked meal at six o’clock on the dot every single weekday. On weekends, the family would start the day by eating a full breakfast his wife cooked, watching television for a little while, then would go out for the day. After eating at a restaurant while out, they would return home, shower for the night, then reconvene in the living room for board games before heading off to bed. 

Their Sunday’s were rather lazy, as they took this day of the week to relax from all the excitement of the other six days. 

James thought he had his entire life planned. Retire from accounting at 65. Move with his wife to a remote island. Support the kids through high school, college, and the rest of their lives. Attend their weddings. Meet his grandkids. And eventually drift off into a peaceful and eternal rest before his wife. 

Other plans were set in motion for James from high powers that be and his life was about to change forever.

James fiddled with his keys before entering his house. As soon as he opened the door, there was a blast of cool air that had never been there before. The blast sent a chill down his spine and gave him the dreadful feeling something devastating awaited him. There was no whiff of freshly baked bread, or steamed vegetables, or seasoned, oven-baked chicken that caught his nose. All of those smells were replaced with a sour, metallic stench. 

The lights were shut off, with the only light entering being the dying sunlight of dusk. At first, he heard nothing, but then his ears picked up the faint sound of something being penetrated with a sharp object. 

James dropped his briefcase and hat as he ran toward the sound without hesitation, breezing past all the other rooms that led up to the master bedroom. He hoped his boy and girl were upstairs hidden and safe from whatever threat he sensed from his room.

As he entered the archway, his heart sank, causing him to freeze in place at the sight of a silhouetted winged figure removing its fist from the inside of his wife’s chest. Next to her bloodied body lie his children, suffering the same fate as his wife. 

Before he could even process the scene fully, the creature stood straight up and turned toward him, saying nothing as it dashed at him with such speed, that he felt nothing as it shot a fist through his heart, killing him instantly. 

James suddenly awoke and looked puzzled as he looked down at his body from a height he was not used to. He panned to his arms and legs and noticed they were translucent and he floated above the ground. He lifted his head to gaze back at his body lying in a pool of blood, and before he could scream, or react at all, he felt a hand on his shoulder. A hand lighter than a normal human hand. Was this because of the spiritual state his soul was currently in? 

He looked back to see a hooded, skeletal figure, the one known as Grim, the Angelic Grim Reaper. 

“Do not panic, James Lee,” the being said.

“That’s my body,” James said, as if stating a question that he knew the answer to.

“Correct.”

“What was that? What killed me and my family?!”

“All will be explained,” Grim said. “Come with me.”

Grim summoned a double-bladed scythe and slashed at the air, causing a muddy green portal to appear. With a hand still on James’ shoulder, Grim led the lost soul through the portal.

On the other end, James found himself in an area that remsebled the surface of Mars; a bleek, red desert. He recognized the scent in the air as the same one he smelled when he entered his home. 

James frantically looked around for Grim, turned around and saw the reaper standing amongst a few other angelic beings.

“This is Limbo,” James said knowledgeably. “Am I to be judged?”

“No, James,” a soft voice of the angels said. “We have a different task in mind for you.”

The angel walked forward and revealed himself to be Apothael, the guiding archangel. At his side were Ramiel, the angel of hope and resurrection, and Zaphkiel, the angel of knowledge. Grim had disappeared to guide other souls to the afterlife. 

“Your life was taken by a demon, one that had a grudge against you,” Apothael revealed. “We will be giving you the chance to right this wrong by seeking vengeance.”

“I just… wish to see my family,” James said. 

“All in due time, James,” Apothael reassured. “But, you must complete your task first. You see, the demons have gotten out of hand by killing innocents in the past out of spite for not being able to overtake angels. You will be our weapon. Our vengeance personified. Should you choose to accept.”

“What if I don’t?” James asked. Apothael paused before giving an answer.

“Then you will remain in Limbo until you do,” Apothael said.

“Wh--”

“Because I demand it so,” Apothael boomed. “You should be groveling at our boots for even being offered the chance to complete a task of this caliber.”

James looked around at the red emptiness before making his decision.

“As long as I get to be with my family after this is over,” James said. “Then I accept.”

Apothael smirked at this and nodded to Ramiel. The archangel of resurrection, hovered a hand over the now kneeling James Lee as a golden white flame appeared in the angel’s palm. The flames slowly covered the human as a burning passion came from coming in contact with the flames. 

“This is the combined might of the archangels of Heaven,” Ramiel announced. “Be reborn as…”

The flames slowly dissipated as James has now been clothed in a white t-shirt, a black, hooded vest with a golden wing insignia in the center of the chest, black pants, white wraps, and a red mask. 

“Antithesis! The Vengeance of God!” Ramiel boomed. Zaphkiel opened her palms and summoned a few weapons.

“The Chains of Sacrifice,” Zaphkiel said, shooting chains onto Antithesis’s forearms. 

“The Daggers of Deception,” Zaphkiel said, teleporting the magical daggers into a sheathes on the back of the spectre’s belt. 

“The Dimension Splitter,” Zaphkiel said, telepathically floating a sword into the sheath strapped around the spirit’s chest. “All of these have been blessed by the archangels as well.”

“We have also gifted the power to generate and control plasmic holyflames,” Ramiel said. At this, Antithesis ignited a spark in his palm and a stream of it emitted from his eye. “Along with this, you have been given a number of enhanced abilities and teleportation.”

“Now, you may rise Antithesis,” Apothael said. He did as commanded and gave his saviors a determined glare.

“Where do I begin?”

Apothael gave Zaphkiel a nod and she floated forward in response.

“There is most likely a chain of command you will have to go through, each enemy more powerful than the last,” she informed. “In order to reach Hell, you will need the Dimension Belt from Axel, the physical representation of space, on the Cosmic Council.”

“We cannot send you there because we do not have access to the Hell Dimension,” Apothael explained.

“However, to reach Axel, you will need access to a different Council member, as Axel can appear anywhere at any time he wants,” Zaphkiel continued. “You need to get the attention of Domination of the Cosmic Council and you can accomplish this by beginning your journey on Earth with Tristan Delcroix, a trusted friend of the destroyer.”

“We want you to feel you’ve accomplished your mission, so we’ll be sending you back to Earth with only information on finding a connection to Tristan Delacroix,” Apothael said. “Her name is ‘Erza Bathory’.”

After retaining all the information given to him, all Antithesis did was nod. Apothael opened a portal to Haven City on Earth and gestured toward it. 

“We wish you luck on your journey,” he said. “Godspeed.”